WTRF

Tingle to be Student Assistant Coach at West Liberty

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University head women’s basketball coach Kyle Cooper announced Monday that Audrey Tingle, the Hilltoppers’ record-setting All-American point guard, will remain with the program as a student assistant coach for the 2022-23 season.

     Tingle, who spent the past five seasons rewriting the West Liberty and NCAA Division II record books from her point guard spot, will help Cooper and his staff with player development, on-court instruction and film work in addition to assisting with on and off-campus recruiting, travel and game operations.

     “We are unbelievably excited to bring Audrey on board as a member of our coaching staff,” Cooper said. “No question she will be a tremendous asset when it comes to the development of our players, especially our point guards. She also gives us another veteran presence who can speak with the voice of experience in the progression of our system and installs. We are beyond fortunate to keep her part of our program and family as we begin the process of molding a new team for a new season.”

     Tingle capped her spectacular 5-year career with one of the most impressive seasons, athletically and academically, in recent memory. A first-team All-Mountain East Conference and All-Atlantic Region selection, Tingle also earned an honorable mention spot on the WBCA Coaches’ All-America Team after setting an NCAA Division II season record with six triple-doubles. Her 7 career triple-doubles is tied for the most in NCAA Division II history. 

     The Hilltopper standout ranked third in the nation with 19 double-doubles this season and averaged a double-double for the year: 14.1 ppg., 10.5 rpg. and 7.1 assists/game. Tingle ranked No. 2 nationally with 212 assists and 7.1 assists/game and was 12th in the nation with 314 rebounds despite her diminutive stature. She was the only NCAA woman at any level to post 200-plus assists and 300-plus rebounds during the regular season.

     The West Lafayette, Ohio native was just as impressive in the classroom. A first-team NCAA Division II Academic All-American, she was featured on the NCAA main website as the 2022 NCAA Division II Academic All-American of the Year for women’s basketball. Tingle graduated with a perfect 4.00 GPA last year in Speech Pathology and Audiology and is on pace to complete her MBA – again with a perfect 4.00 GPA – at West Liberty in the first summer session. She plans to begin studying for her master’s in Speech Pathology and Audiology in the second summer session.

     “West Liberty has given me so many great opportunities,” Tingle said. “I’m so thankful to be able to continue my journey here and excited for the chance to experience the game from a new perspective. Having grown as a player in this program, I’m looking to provide additional insight to the players and coaching staff that will help this program continue to succeed. This is a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to growing my professional career as a Hilltopper.”

     Tingle closed out her career ranked near the top of the Hilltoppers’ career leaderboard in multiple categories. Her 132 career games and 132 career starts are both school records. Despite standing just 5-6, she ranked No. 2 all-time on the hilltop with 998 career rebounds and is No. 4 in career assists (856) and career steals (198). The 856 assists rank among the Top 10 career totals in NCAA Division II history.

     “Audrey has been with (associate head coach) Cassie (Seth) and I since the beginning of our time together at West Liberty,” Cooper said. “Not only has Audrey earned this opportunity, I can’t imagine competing without her filling some significant role. Hopefully, we’ll be fortunate enough to get her that championship she has worked so hard to earn.”